Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Crash and Burn

Well, Oscar did it. He finally made me cry last night. We were at agility for the first time in two weeks and his nemesis, Garfunkel - a 5 (?) year old Bearded Collie, and him locked eyes after Oscar went over a jump and Oscar ran over to him and bark-bark-barked at him and wouldn't stop for, gosh, what seemed like minutes. I'm sure the whole thing was 20 seconds, but oh man, was it scary. He didn't bite or anything, but still...

I don't know what was going on in Oscar's head, but whatever it was, one thing was clear - he did not want Garfunkel as a spectator last night. I can't blame him...he was just being a dog and doing what he thought was right.

So, Ms. Laura lost it after that and started crying. I know, I know...those of you who know me well enough just dropped your jaw on the floor. Yes, Laura does cry. I doesn't happen often and I can't remember the last time it was. I could have filled up the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewage Districts back-up system with my waterworks. (sigh)

We have three agility classes left then Oscar and I are going to be taking a break for a while - maybe forever - and do some more low-key training. I have him enrolled in a Focus and Control class and I'm looking forward to working with him in a more low-key classroom setting.

For now, pass the glass of wine...and brush it off as another learning experience.

About Me

Simply put: I have loved dogs my entire life.
Repeatedly requesting one on every single birthday and Christmas list since learning how to write and bombarding my parents to just "go take a look at one" since words began sputtering out of my mouth. My dream became a reality on December 5, 2002. I went to the local humane society with a very dear friend of mine and adopted my first dog, Fanny. She was a 3 year old white German Shepherd whose stunning presence stopped me in my tracks. She was beautiful. The search was over. I knew her and I would be together.
Self labeled as a D.B.N. (Dog Behavior Nerd), my passion for dogs has grown leaps and bounds since bringing my second dog, Oscar, into the Holder family. I'm a designer during the 8-5 routine, but a dog enthusiast 24-7-365.